


Blame Game

by LordofLezzies



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23753014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordofLezzies/pseuds/LordofLezzies
Summary: Derek has a habit of blaming things on his ex-wife, and his surgical failures are no exception. Set during 5x18
Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd, Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery, Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	Blame Game

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason this episode popped into my head and I've always believed that Derek kinda blamed Addison for the situation, not as Mer/Add as I'd usually go but couldn't get this idea out of my head. Also I love the idea of Addison just lighting into Derek for being a dumbass

He was all alone. Torres and Hunt were gone, Richard was gone, and he just sipped his scotch. He didn’t care when car lights came into his line of sight, he just swallowed the remaining liquid in his glass. The lights disappeared and footsteps approached. He poured another glass.

“Get up.” He grabbed for another glass planning to pour her a drink. “I’m not drinking with you, get your ass up.” Her tone was firm and when he didn’t immediately comply she grabbed his shoulder and he stumbled to his feet. She held him up by the collar of his shirt and roughly shoved him through the front door. He didn’t care anymore and he just let her lead him through the trailer. Before he knew it she had pushed him into the shower and was spraying him in the face with ice cold water. “You smell like a bar bathroom,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust as she continued to hold the water in his face as he sputtered. “Take your clothes off and clean yourself up,” she added before walking out of the small trailer bathroom to grab him a clean change of clothes. 

Five minutes later he stumbled out wrapped in a towel. The water had made him more alert but he was still drunk, and the domineering tone and actions of his ex-wife were gone as he sat down on his bed. “Arms up.” He complied as she slid a shirt over his head. “I think you can put your own pants on,” she said as she handed him a pair of blue and green pajama pants. It was a struggle and she laughed at him, but he put his own pants on.

“What are you doing here?” He finally asked.

“Meredith called me.” He rolled his eyes.

“I guess you’ll start sleeping together again now.”

“Nice deflection Derek, it was one time.”

“I don’t know you two looked pretty cozy last week.” It was her turn to roll her eyes. She’d been exhausted after her brother’s surgery and fallen asleep on Meredith’s shoulder.

“I came all this way so that I could steal your girlfriend, just like I stole your best friend right Derek? It’s been almost two years, I think you can stop blaming me for everything that’s wrong in your life. Look me in the eye right now and tell me you don’t blame me,” she hissed. He couldn’t look at her, because a part of him did blame Addison. “That’s what I thought.” They sat in silence for a while on the edge of his bed. It was almost funny that Addison knew that he blamed her for his failure. He had put her before his patient and after that surgery he felt invincible and it all came crashing down in an instant. Addison broke the silence.

“I’m sorry,” he hadn’t expected that. After how she’d come barreling into his pity party her softness was unexpected. Her fingers threaded through his hair and her lips were curved into a genuine smile. “I’m grateful for what you did for me, for Archer, and I’m sorry that it feels like I came back into your life and everything has gone to hell, but you have got to stop blaming me for everything.” Her tone had gone from gentle to loud and angry and he was undoubtably going to face Satan’s wrath. She stood up and towered over him.

“How funny is it that Meredith called me?” It was a rhetorical question. He knew it was just the beginning. “She knew just as well as I do now that you’d blame me for the ground being ripped out from under you because NEWSFLASH Derek you’re NOT God! If you weren’t so self involved you’d realize I was right here, but why should I be surprised? It’s just like the last two years of our marriage. I came to you, but you didn’t reach out to me at all. Just like your clinical trial, Mr. Superstar doesn’t need any help from the resident who did ALL the leg work.” He’d heard enough of that from Meredith he didn’t need it from Addie too. “But no, you had a pregnant patient and a world class neonatal surgeon at your disposal, but I don’t exist right? Why would you ask me for a consult?

“And Meredith, god if I were in her position I’d leave your ass out here to rot. Why on earth would she want to marry a man wallowing in self pity for days? That hits engagement rings with a baseball bat while drunk, because god forbid he swallow his pride and ask for help.” She started pacing in the small space and it was a welcome reprieve from her yelling, but it was short lived. “And this damn tin can you insist on living in when you have million dollar hands! You infuriate me Derek!” 

“I can see that.” His snarky remark earned him a dirty look before she continued on her rant.

“You know why your numbers aren’t perfect, because you take chances. You give people who were hopeless hope, you gave that to me Derek. That is how this works, we try and sometimes we make mistakes and we fail and it hurts, but we learn from those failures. That is how progress is made.” She stopped yelling and pacing and sat back down next to him.

“Why are you here Addie?” He didn’t even recognize the sound of his own voice.

“Because you’re an idiot,” She said shoving his shoulder lightly. “Meredith knows you better than you give her credit for, and after everything we’ve been through, I still care about you Derek. I know you.”

“Meredith,” he sighed. What was he going to do about Meredith sending his ex-wife out to talk some sense into him.

“Yeah you might wanna find that ring. And maybe don’t screw up this time,” she added as an afterthought. 

“Or you’ll take her?” He questioned bitterly.

“I’ll stop telling her you’re worth it, because I swear if you screw it up again I’ll take her off your hands.”

“You told her that?” He was shocked and he was sure that Addison could tell when he looked into her eyes. She nodded. “But you slept with her.” Another eye roll.

“I can’t believe she told you about that, it was one time, and I missed my flight, and last week I was emotionally exhausted and fell asleep on her shoulder. You’re reading into things,” she was clearly trying not to roll her eyes at him again and she huffed in frustration. 

“She didn’t tell me,” he replied. He refused to tell her he’d found out because Meredith had a sex dream Addison starred in, and he’d come home in the middle of it. “Are you here for her or for me?” He asked. The confusion he saw was unexpected, but he tried to clarify. “You came all this way because she asked you.”

“She’s worried about you, and you pushed her away, and no one has been able to get through to you and that thick head of yours. I wouldn’t have flown back to this place, that I hate if I didn’t care. But I swear to god if you fuck things up with Meredith again, I’m going to take her back to LA with me, because she deserves more, and I know from experience how exhausting your bullshit is,” she huffed. “Now try and get some sleep Derek,” she whispered before standing and pushing him back onto his mattress. He scooted his feet up so that he was fully on the bed and Addison threw a blanket over him. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling at ease and very sleepy. He heard her shuffling through his clothes for something to sleep in and just the knowledge that she was staying was comforting. “And Derek, you owe me a latte with like 6 shots of espresso in the morning.” That was the last thing he heard before falling asleep, and despite everything, he felt like it might all turn out okay.


End file.
